Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
I like the look of a new site put up by Matt Hornsby.
Take a Load Off – Lightweight Backpacking
Backpacking adventures, missteps, stories, and advice.
Matt describes the process of cutting down his 50lb+ pack to something more … reasonable. And asks for advice on his gear list. Check it out:
Take a Load Off – Lightweight Backpacking: Packing
I’ve subscribed, of course, to Matt’s RSS feed.
Love hiking but tied to your computer?
Erik Goetze can help.
He’s posted over 500 Quicktime VR panoramas of famous North American hikes on his Virtual Parks website.
You need special software on your computer in order to watch them. But the 360 degree images work on most modern computers.
screenshot
El Misti (5827m / 19,117 ft), in Peru is perhaps the easiest way to hike HIGH anywhere in the world. We think.
I did it solo myself in 2005.
It looks so tempting from the hotel roof in Arequipa.
But it’s not always that easy, as Eu-Jin Goh from California found on his adventure.
We signed up for a trip to El Misti with Zarate Expediciones. It cost more than the other agencies but we were quite keen to go on the trip with Carlos Zarate (84 years old at the time) who discovered a number of Inca sacrifices at the top of volcanoes near Arequipa.
… Carlos was full of information about his climbs in the area, he would frequently point at something and tell us that he found x number of mummies and Inca artifacts x number of years ago. In fact, our trip was his 384th summit of El Misti!
For a walkup, El Misti was physically strenuous for several reasons:
1) we were barely acclimitized for those heights after spending two nights at 2000 meters (Arequipa) and one night at 3600 meters (Chivay), and no real physical exertion at those altitudes.
2) This period was the second day of my 12 day bout with food poisoning and a bad cold that plagued me through the trip.
3) The trailhead was at 3415 m (11,204 ft) and the summit was at 5827 m (19,117 ft), translating to an elevation gain of almost 8,000 ft to be covered over two days.
4) There’s no water on the mountain and we had to carry 12 liters for both of us for 2 days.
5) I forgot to pack my energy drinks to Peru, which would have been quite helpful since I couldn’t eat any solid food. On hindsight, I think a better choice for acclimitization is Chachani because, although higher, it is an easier climb since from trailhead to summit is only 1000 meters over 2 days.
When we reached the crater rim, it started to snow, and Serene and I hurried to make the summit before the weather broke completely. We ended up descending at the start of a snowstorm that plastered the upper part of the mountain with snow that was visible from Arequipa the next day.
El Misti (5827m / 19,117 ft), Peru – Eu-Jin Goh photos
Details on how to organize a trip there for yourself on our Misti information page.
If you opt for Zarate Expeditions and/or climb Chachani instead, know that not everyone is happy.
The best section of Canyonlands National Park for hikers is The Needles. No question.
…named after the red and white banded rock pinnacles which dominate it but various other forms of naturally sculptured rock like canyons, grabens, potholes, and a number of arches similar to the ones of the nearby Arches National Park can be found as well.
Unlike Arches National Park, however, where many arches are accessible by short to moderate hikes or even by car, most of the arches in the Needles district lie in backcountry canyons and take long hikes or four-wheel-drive trips to reach.
Canyonlands National Park – Wikipedia
Of 60mi (96km) of great trails, the most popular section of the Needles is Chesler Park, a lovely grassy valley surrounded by colourful sandstone spires.
larger image – flickr
I was lucky to get one of the 5 backcountry Chesler Park tent sites (CP5) and accessed it from the Elephant Hill trailhead.
NPS map
From there I dayhiked the astonishing Joint Trail. It’s a “mountain” that split leaving a fracture just wide enough for a hiker (sideways at some points). Is there no end of natural marvels in this part of the world?
The highlight for me personally was a late afternoon trail run to Druid Arch. Late, scrambling the steep slope up to the view point, I was blown away by the size and location of this wonderful mass of stone.
I got lost on the run back to my tent, arriving an hour after dark.
If I went back to the Needles, I would do Salt Creek from Cathedral Butte to Peekaboo via Angel Arch. Likely 3 days, 24.2m (39km), a wonderful canyon walk with permanent water.
I’d need a high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. Or would hire a shuttle vehicle in Moab.
Angel Arch – Bob’s Arches
photos from my 2007 hike – flickr
UPDATE – I am LOVING this jacket after using it for a couple of weeks of cold desert nights in southern Utah.
==== original post April 27, 2007:
After doing a fair bit of comparison shopping on-line, I finally jumped for a new coat, the third in my hiking career.
It’s the inexpensive MEC Hydrofoil Jacket: C$99 (US$88). A bit heavy at just under 1lb (425gms).
Yet this jacket just felt “right” when I put it on. (Will report back how it handles the trail.)
Built to provide outdoor generalists with compact wet-weather protection and the comfort of breathability, at an affordable price. Lightweight and packable, this fully seam-taped, unlined garment is good for travelling in wet climates or where foul weather is expected.
The interior is coated with Toray’s Entrant® DT microporous polyurethane coating, which is waterproof, moderately breathable, and durable. Unlined garments are much lighter and pack smaller than lined garments. So you are more likely to bring them along in uncertain weather.
* Made of 50-denier mini twill ripstop100% nylon.
* Exterior is treated with Kudos Super Durable Water Repellency treatment.
* Hip-length, relatively loose fit for comfort and easy layering over light to mid-weight garments.
* Fully taped seams for maximum wet-weather protection.
* Integral, fully adjustable hood with reinforced brim for full weather resistance.
* Pits zips for added ventilation.
* Two zippered outer pockets.
* Velcro® adjustable sleeve cuffs.
* Elastic drawcord at bottom hem.
* All flaps stiffened to prevent them getting caught in zippers.
We nearly tripped over two 4ft-long snakes, very close together, in Arches National Park, Utah.
Click PLAY or see the snakes on YouTube.
Later I had another snake close to my camp in Canyonlands. (It’s a good idea to keep your tent zipped in this part of the world.)
At the time I hoped that this nonpoisonous big boy — the Gopher Snake or Bullsnake — was a mortal enemy of the Rattler. (I read that error in Edward Abbey’s 1968 book.)
Turns out the two species sometimes fight. Other times the snakes may even nest together.
Happily, I’ve still never seen a Rattler.
Mark Scanlan recommended the Nabesna area of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest in the USA.
The jumping off point is Anchorage.
… two rough gravel roads (the McCarthy Road and the Nabesna Road) wind through the park, making much of the interior accessible for backcountry camping and hiking. Chartered aircraft also fly into the park. Wrangell-St. Elias received roughly 57,221 visitors in 2004
Of the Nabesna trail options, the National Park Service website highlights a new adventure they call the Sanford-Dadina Plateau “Volcanic Traverseâ€.
DISTANCE: 15 miles one way. 4-8 days depending on route and side trips.
ACCESS: Fly-in by air taxi from Gulkana Airport to upper Sanford River. Pickup from strip along Dadina River.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult. Requires extensive route finding (no trails), crossing glacial moraine, brush, steep rocky hill-sides with loose material, and negotiating swift but relatively small rivers.
HIGHLIGHTS: A wild and remote area with unsurpassed scenery. Volcanic peaks (Mount Drum 12,010’, Mount Sanford 16,237’, and Mount Wrangell 14,163’), alpine tundra, and splendid isolation. Watch for sign of caribou, Dall sheep, moose, bison, and ptarmigan.
linked via National Park Service Wrangell-St. Elias Hiking Routes
A tongue-in-cheek article by Bill Schneider, founder of Falcon Guidebooks, sends a message to a Montana congressional delegation — “it is time they supported mandatory global warming pollution reduction policies.”
I love it.
GLOBAL WARMING POLITICAL STATEMENT
Group Wants to Rename GlacierAfter 97 years, is it time to give Montana’s Glacier National Park a new name?
Yes, says a national green group.
Why? Because of climate change, scientists say all of the park’s famous glaciers will melt away by 2030.
So, says the National Environmental Trust, we need a new name, perhaps something like Used-to-have Glaciers National Park or Formerly Glacier National Park. …
Group Wants to Rename Glacier | Travel & Outdoors | New West Network
(via Two-Heel Drive)
I am worried. Not sure what really can be done about it though. How do you trigger an ice age?
source – Politics Blog
The signature photo of Island in the Sky is the view through Mesa Arch.
The Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park could not be better named.
It’s a high Mesa at the junction of the Colorado and Green rivers.
Most of the longer hikes drop precipitously off the “island”. There are several to choose from: Gooseberry, Wilhite, Alcove Spring. Many hikers climb down quickly and are picked up by an off-road vehicle on the White Rim Road. If you do not have vehicle support (and it’s not too hot), you can switchback your way up top again, sometimes via a loop.
The Rangers when I was there recommended Murphy Basin, a 10mi (16km) lollypop loop with an optional sidetrip to Murphy Point. Non-stop fantastic vistas.
my view from Murphy Point
The best hike on Island in the Sky for me, however, is the Syncline Loop.
My favourite hike in the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park circles unique Upheaval Dome, the strangest and most controversial geological feature in the region.
To me, it looks like an ancient eroded meteorite crater. It’s huge, 6.2mi (10km) in diameter.
I circled it on the 8mi (12.8km) Syncline Loop trail, finishing with a side trip to the popular Upheaval Dome overlook. That’s a wonderful, challenging day hike. (Especially difficult after damage during the winter of 2006. Volunteers were making repairs when I was there.)
from NPS map
You might prefer the longer Alcove Spring / Syncline Loop 19.6mi (31.5km) which takes you to Aphrodite, Zeus and Moses spires. And returns via Upheaval Canyon.
This is dangerous territory. People get lost and die in Canyonlands National Park. I just read an account of a 62-yr-old man who was found curled up, dead under the only shade tree a short distance from his vehicle. Somehow he got confused and couldn’t find the car.
I don’t want to understate the risks while extolling the wonders of hiking there.
Routes are maked by stone cairns. Inevitably you will spend a lot of time backtracking to the last cairn, trying to find the correct route. I got particularly muddled on Syncline Loop.
Here’s the obligatory warning:
The park’s greatest danger is weather. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 ° F, but even during the spring and fall visitors should plan on drinking one gallon of water per day.
When hiking be aware that it can be easy to get lost in the twisting canyons, so let someone know where you are going and bring more food and water than you think you’ll need.
During storms avoid high open areas which can be prone to lightning strikes. In addition, be extremely cautious in narrow canyons as flash floods can occur with even just a small amount of precipitation.
If you are in a canyon and it begins to rain, look for higher ground immediately; if you can hear the sounds of floodwaters approaching or notice rising water around you it is already too late to seek safety.
Canyonlands National Park – WikiTravel
besthike.com 